News From the Greater Miami Jewish Federation

Calling all B'nai Mitzvah students: Become a Young Lion of Judah and create intergenerational relationships with Holocaust Survivors, while learning to share their brave stories of survival.

As the brave men and women of the Israel Defense Forces continue to defend our spiritual homeland in Operation Iron Swords, Federation is supporting thousands of lone soldiers, individuals who have made aliyah to Israel alone and lack the support network of friends and family typically available to their native Israeli peers.

This summer, Federation camp subsidies enabled almost 350 Miami-Dade children and teens to deepen their connection to their Jewish heritage and connect with their Jewish community. Our Jewish Overnight Summer Camp Scholarships awarded nearly $200,000 to campers ages 8-17, offsetting their tuition costs at Jewish camps across the country.

Make 5786 a time of Jewish renewal and connection for you and your family by joining a local synagogue. With the High Holidays only a few weeks away, now is the perfect time to find a spiritual home. Plus, during challenging times such as these for Israel and the Jewish people, connecting with the community can bring solace and a shared sense of unity.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation, in partnership with local Jewish day schools, is exploring the feasibility of launching a new Jewish community (pluralistic) middle and high school, and we want to hear from you. According to Jewish Miami: A 2024 Community Study, the number of Jewish children in Miami has increased 13 percent since 2014, and day school enrollment is nearly four times the national average.

With Rosh Hashanah just a month away, now is the time to join a synagogue and celebrate the Jewish New Year with your community. In challenging times such as these for Israel and the Jewish people, belonging to a spiritual center can bring solace and a shared sense of unity.

Calling all high school juniors and seniors! Apply now for the second cohort of Teen Israel Academy: an exciting new kind of Israel education that provides a safe academic space to grapple with Israel’s complexities and challenging questions.

Federation’s Israel Emergency Fund is helping wounded soldiers and civilians with customized solutions for their rehabilitation. Through a generous allocation to Tikkun Olam Makers, the CareMaker Program, pioneered at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital, can now expand its groundbreaking techniques to Poriya Hospital, home to the recently opened largest rehab department in the country.

Don’t miss one of Jewish Miami’s most loved community service events of the year! Register now for Milk & Honey, organized by Jewish Community Services of South Florida in partnership with Federation and help vulnerable seniors in your neighborhood.

Federation is addressing the surge in mental health care needs in northern Israel with its support of the mobile Road to Resilience program. Created by the Jaffa Institute, an Israeli nonprofit assisting disadvantaged residents of Greater Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Bet Shemesh, the versatile project was initiated in response to October 7.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation is providing vital mental health support to IDF reserve soldiers through K’far Ma’avar (Transition Village). The October 7 attacks and the ensuing Operation Swords of Iron saw the mobilization of 350,000 reservists.

“I’m not exaggerating when I say they saved my life,” said October 7 survivor Omer Rafaeli, who owes his resilience to the Federation-funded Back on Track employment program for traumatized Israelis. Rafaeli, his wife and three young daughters endured the nightmare of the Hamas attacks in their safe room at Kibbutz Gvulot and when they emerged, his life and livelihood were forever changed.

People with disabilities and their caretakers can find valuable resources online through Federation’s Miami Jewish Abilities Alliance (MJAA), including tools that help them better advocate for themselves. Because appropriate treatment begins with initial assessments, MJAA’s website provides information and guidance on not only what to expect from psychological and educational testing but also how to navigate these processes.

Do you know a remarkable 10th- or 11th-grader looking to step up and lead our Jewish community into the future? Diller Teen Fellows is now accepting applications! Operated by CAJE | The Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education, a Federation agency, Diller Teen Fellows is a pluralistic and immersive program that fosters students’ personal growth, enables collaboration with others from diverse backgrounds and develops strong leadership skills.

August is Make-A-Will Month and if you are one of the nearly 70 percent of adults who do not yet have a will, now is a great time to make plans to protect the people and values you care about. This month, The Foundation of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation reminds us that creating a will isn’t just for the wealthy; it’s for everyone. A will guarantees that your wishes are honored and your legacy lives on.

For more than three and a half years, homecare workers in Ukraine have been providing lifesaving support for tens of thousands of the country’s vulnerable Jews — the elderly, children, newly impoverished, internally displaced and more.

Applications are now being accepted by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation for three 2025 grant opportunities: Women’s Impact Initiative Grants, Jewish Incubator Grants and the new Israel Engagement & Education Grants.

Jewish students can now apply for need-based, interest-free loans tailored for higher education, covering college, graduate school and vocational programs through JELF (Jewish Educational Loan Fund), a Federation partner agency.